An armed man who police said was rambling and disoriented ignored orders to turn back Friday morning and drove his red sports car toward the closed gates of the governor's mansion. The man stopped his car before reaching the gates and told police he needed help. When he told a guard he had a gun, he was quickly overpowered by eight or 10 capitol and state police, who took a loaded .380-caliber semiautomatic pistol from his front seat, police said. Gov. George Allen, who was in the mansion and immediately aware of the incident, said that his first thought had been for the safety of his wife, Susan, and their two young children.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Capitol Police are looking for the person or persons who stole an American flag from the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond. The theft occurred sometime between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. Sunday. Memorial marketing director Jeb Hockman tells media outlets that someone cut the rope that attached the flag to the pole. The flag cost about $150.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Capitol Police are looking for the person or persons who stole an American flag from the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond. The theft occurred sometime between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. Sunday. Memorial marketing director Jeb Hockman tells media outlets that someone cut the rope that attached the flag to the pole. The flag cost about $150.

This past weekend could have provided a time-out for reflection and compromise on the budget impasse in the Virginia General Assembly. But after police in riot gear arrested 30 protestors on the Capitol steps in Richmond Saturday, there are even more wounds to be healed. The sad part is that the situation was completely avoidable. A group of about 30 men and women out of almost 1,000 demonstrators were arrested Saturday for trespass or unlawful assembly after refusing to move from the granite steps of the South Portico.

Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan wasn't the only one ejected from the House chamber before President Bush's State of the Union address. It turned out that another woman, wearing a T-shirt that read "Support the Troops -- Defending our Freedom," was also forced from the chamber Tuesday night. That woman turned out to be the wife of a prominent congressman, who was none too happy about the incident. Rep. C.W. "Bill" Young, R-Fla., chairman of the House Appropriations subcommittee on defense, summoned Capitol police officers to his office Wednesday.

A lawmaker armed with a phone but no ID pin was stopped for a security check in the Capitol. It started with the seemingly smallest of incidents -- a misunderstanding last week at a security checkpoint in the Longworth House Office Building, where guards regularly check the identification and belongings of those entering the building. But by Tuesday, the encounter between Rep. Cynthia McKinney, D-Ga., and a Capitol Police officer -- in which he touched her on the shoulder and she jabbed him with her cell phone -- had begun to mushroom into a racial and political furor, replete with accusations of racial profiling and threats of criminal charges.

Virginia Gov. L. Douglas Wilder, expanding on his belief that he has been the target of spying for years, said Tuesday that a Capitol Police officer discovered a listening device in a tree outside his office here last August. But police officials dismissed Wilder's assertion that the device was used for surveillance. Wilder's latest statement came on the eve of the scheduled appearance of his political rival, Sen. Charles S. Robb, D-Va., before a federal grand jury in Norfolk. The grand jury is investigating the secret recording of a cellular telephone conversation between Wilder and a political ally in late 1988.

An accidental shot in the General Assembly building prompts an apology from Del. John S. Reid. A visibly shaken Virginia lawmaker apologized to his colleagues Thursday after accidentally firing a handgun in his office while attempting to unload it. But Del. John S. Reid could still call it a lucky shot: The slug slammed into a bullet-resistant vest that hung on the door. He received the vest as a gag gift last year, but Reid wasn't laughing Thursday. His normally booming voice was stilled as he discussed the incident with reporters.

The congressman enters a plea bargain stemming from last month's DUI incident. Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy, D-R.I., pleaded guilty Tuesday to a charge of driving under the influence of prescription drugs in a plea bargain with prosecutors stemming from a middle-of-the-night incident last month in which he nearly sideswiped a police cruiser. District of Columbia Superior Court Magistrate Judge Aida Melendez placed the six-term congressman on supervised probation for a year. He was ordered to attend weekly meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous, confer regularly with a psychiatrist, submit to random urine tests and contribute $100 to a crime victims fund and $250 to the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Washington, where he will also do 50 hours of community service.

The new West Point Police Department was officially on duty at the stroke of midnight Saturday, taking over law enforcement in town from the King William Sheriff's Department. Police Chief A.B. "Smitty" Clary said the office has been busy, answering calls about a variety of minor incidents as well as helping volunteer fire and rescue workers with a stroke victim. Town Council decided in June to form the Police Department, ending a contractual arrangement with the King William Sheriff's Office that dated back more than 20 years.

RICHMOND - Thirty-one women's-rights demonstrators were arrested this afternoon in a protest at the state Capitol that drew hundreds of protesters and Virginia State Police in riot gear. Capt. Raymond Goodloe of the Virginia Division of Capitol Police said 17 women and 14 men were arrested. He did not have a breakdown on charges but said those arrested were likely accused of either trespassing or unalawful assembly. The arrests took place after some protesters, who had marched on downtown streets before entering Capitol Square, refused to leave the south steps of the Capitol.

By David Lerman, dlerman@tribune.com | 202-824-8224 | October 10, 2007

The House of Representatives paid tribute Tuesday to Jo Ann Davis, remembering the late congresswoman as an effective lawmaker, a nurturing friend, a pioneer for women, and a courageous crusader in her fight against breast cancer. One by one, her former colleagues--male and female, black and white, Democrat and Republican--rose on the House floor to praise a woman many admired for her warmth, strength of character and gentle manner. "She battled to the end with courage and grace in her fight against breast cancer," said Virginia Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Fairfax, the dean of the state delegation.

The resort and spa will be closed for a meeting of the party caucus this weekend. If you're thinking of working on your golf swing or getting a facial at Kingsmill this weekend, think again. Williamsburg's Kingsmill Resort & Spa will be closed to the public today for a gathering of the Democratic Caucus scheduled to include appearances by President Bush on Saturday and former President Bill Clinton tonight. Democratic Caucus spokesman Nick Papas said the resort would be closed through Saturday.

The congressman enters a plea bargain stemming from last month's DUI incident. Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy, D-R.I., pleaded guilty Tuesday to a charge of driving under the influence of prescription drugs in a plea bargain with prosecutors stemming from a middle-of-the-night incident last month in which he nearly sideswiped a police cruiser. District of Columbia Superior Court Magistrate Judge Aida Melendez placed the six-term congressman on supervised probation for a year. He was ordered to attend weekly meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous, confer regularly with a psychiatrist, submit to random urine tests and contribute $100 to a crime victims fund and $250 to the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Washington, where he will also do 50 hours of community service.

A lawmaker armed with a phone but no ID pin was stopped for a security check in the Capitol. It started with the seemingly smallest of incidents -- a misunderstanding last week at a security checkpoint in the Longworth House Office Building, where guards regularly check the identification and belongings of those entering the building. But by Tuesday, the encounter between Rep. Cynthia McKinney, D-Ga., and a Capitol Police officer -- in which he touched her on the shoulder and she jabbed him with her cell phone -- had begun to mushroom into a racial and political furor, replete with accusations of racial profiling and threats of criminal charges.

Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan wasn't the only one ejected from the House chamber before President Bush's State of the Union address. It turned out that another woman, wearing a T-shirt that read "Support the Troops -- Defending our Freedom," was also forced from the chamber Tuesday night. That woman turned out to be the wife of a prominent congressman, who was none too happy about the incident. Rep. C.W. "Bill" Young, R-Fla., chairman of the House Appropriations subcommittee on defense, summoned Capitol police officers to his office Wednesday.

The resort and spa will be closed for a meeting of the party caucus this weekend. If you're thinking of working on your golf swing or getting a facial at Kingsmill this weekend, think again. Williamsburg's Kingsmill Resort & Spa will be closed to the public today for a gathering of the Democratic Caucus scheduled to include appearances by President Bush on Saturday and former President Bill Clinton tonight. Democratic Caucus spokesman Nick Papas said the resort would be closed through Saturday.

Teacher Frank Cifarelli of Richmond spent nearly three hours in a receiving line Saturday, waiting to shake the hand of Gov. L. Douglas Wilder. Cifarelli's message to Wilder was simple and brief: "Congratulations!" The more than 1,200 well-wishers who lined up outside the State Capitol stood in overcoats and parkas in the crisp air - patiently most of the time. When the line finally began moving, about 3:50 p.m., 35 minutes behind schedule, visitors who were not members of the General Assembly or the press passed through an airport-style metal-detector.

An accidental shot in the General Assembly building prompts an apology from Del. John S. Reid. A visibly shaken Virginia lawmaker apologized to his colleagues Thursday after accidentally firing a handgun in his office while attempting to unload it. But Del. John S. Reid could still call it a lucky shot: The slug slammed into a bullet-resistant vest that hung on the door. He received the vest as a gag gift last year, but Reid wasn't laughing Thursday. His normally booming voice was stilled as he discussed the incident with reporters.

His 1995 election was a stunner. Now a veteran, the Newport News Republican prepares to make his mark in a pivotal legislative session. The record will show that state Sen. Marty Williams slam-dunked his first bill of the 2006 session. Senate Bill 2 requires crab pot floats and buoys to glow in the dark, using special reflective material. A committee whisked it straight to the floor. If this is an omen, the Newport News Republican is in for quite a session. Williams wants to revamp how the state manages water crossings in Hampton Roads and how it raises tolls.